Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Epitaph
(1,842 words)

1. Art

1.1. Concept

The word “epitaph” (Greek epitáphios, “pertaining to the tomb") in Antiquity meant the funerary laudation of the deceased. It came into use in Europe during the Middle Ages to denote both the funerary inscription and the literary commemoration and the monument placed on the church or churchyard wall in memory of a deceased person [6]; [7]. Epitaphs might be painted or sculpted, and might consist of an inscription plaque alone, or an inscription and an image. The defining feature of an epitaph …

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Csuk, Siglinde and Gersmann, Gudrun, “Epitaph”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_018828>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180126



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